court
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Report sounds alarm for lawmakers, judges to fix gaps in state’s civil justice system
Court forms are bewildering, people who speak limited English lose their cases by default, a lack of broadband thwarts the effectiveness of virtual court hearings, there is a shortage of legal aid, and the state judicial system’s chosen online platform is ill-suited to the needs of the disabled and non-English speakers. Those were the conclusions…
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Judge declines to reconsider dismissal of lawsuit over Frontier flight refunds
A federal judge will not reopen a lawsuit against Frontier Airlines after he previously found the company was not liable for refunding the ticket purchases of plaintiffs when the COVID-19 pandemic forced flight cancelations in early 2020. Several Frontier customers, individually and then as a consolidated case, sued the airline for breach of contract. They…
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Tina Peters surrenders on felony warrant, vows to keep campaigning for secretary of state
Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters and her deputy, Belinda Knisley, turned themselves in to authorities Wednesday afternoon at the county sheriff’s department hours after prosecutors released a 13-count grand jury indictment alleging the pair took part in a “deceptive scheme” to breach secure voting equipment, officials said. Peters, a Republican candidate for Colorado secretary of…
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Experts, candidates testify in lawsuit attempting to block Colorado campaign contribution limits
A collection of former and current Republican candidates testified in federal court on Wednesday about the struggles they faced running campaigns with Colorado’s constitutionally-mandated contribution limits in an attempt to convince a judge to block the enforcement of those caps heading into the 2022 election. At the same time, the Colorado Attorney General’s Office questioned…
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Republican Tina Peters hit with contempt of court citation in Mesa County
Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters was ordered on Wednesday to appear later this month before a Mesa County District Court judge on a contempt of court citation alleging that she lied to another judge about videotaping a court hearing. Peters, a Republican candidate for Colorado secretary of state, is also facing separate misdemeanor obstruction charges…
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State employees do not have right to rescind their resignation, appeals court says
State agencies do not have to honor an employee’s request to withdraw their resignation, the Court of Appeals has ruled. A three-judge panel for the appellate court considered whether the state constitution, which guarantees that employees in the Colorado personnel system hold their jobs “during efficient service or until reaching retirement age,” allows workers to…
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Prosecutors, public defenders square off on jury bias bill as Senate committee seeks compromise
Elected prosecutors strenuously opposed and defense attorneys vigorously supported proposed legislation to address implicit bias in jury selection, prompting the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday to postpone action and search for a middle ground. Proponents of Senate Bill 128 hope to join the handful of states whose legislatures or highest courts have enacted procedures making…
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State Supreme Court to take up case of sleeping juror
The prosecution, defense attorneys and judge in a felony trial all noticed that a juror was repeatedly falling asleep, but the judge declined the defense’s request to “rouse him.” The state’s Court of Appeals later determined it could not review whether the sleeping juror compromised the defendant’s right to a fair trial because the defense…
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Appeals court overturns conviction after video evidence contradicted security guard’s testimony
Store surveillance footage directly contradicted testimony that a man used force in his attempt to rob a Weld County supermarket, prompting the state’s second-highest court to overturn his conviction. A three-judge panel for the Court of Appeals determined that witness testimony cannot sustain a conviction when undisputed video evidence invalidates what the witness said. As…
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Ex-Montrose sheriff’s deputy failed to establish retaliation for complaining about racism, court finds
A Montrose County deputy’s text message complaining about racism and unprofessional conduct in the sheriff’s office was neither specific enough nor sufficiently in the public’s interest to shield him from retaliation, the federal appeals court based in Denver decided on Thursday. Brad Lamb, who the Montrose County Sheriff’s Office terminated in September 2015, believed he…